Problem 1

TRP brakes. I’m used to Shimano, where the hose is not attached at the shifter to make for easy installation on an internally routed frame. I ended up having to cut and bleed both anyway, but it made the routing more complicated than it needed to be, aside from the rear chainstay where Trek has made it as simple as possible where the frame forms a tube for the hose to run through.

Problem 2

I had to warranty my rear brake after installing it and trying to bleed it when we found out the bolt was over tightened, meaning I could not loosen it to bleed the brake. TRP was very good about it though and promptly shipped a new caliper, and I am able to cannibalize the first one for spare parts. Then I had to cut the hose again, but it was not as much of a problem this time and the bleed got done.

Problem 3

Not necessarily a real problem, but I hate wrapping bar tape.

Overall, this build finished up well, although I do not like bleeding TRP brakes. The brake levers actually have holes in them, so they look pretty cool in photos, and the bike is fun to ride with perfect gearing. Learning the dropout system and setting up a singlespeed is a little new to me, but with the help of more experienced mechanics I got it all done.

My short answer to this question is that I do not plan to purchase another rim brake bike. I love my bikes, especially my Madone, but disc brakes would make the ride so much better. The problem I have with the brakes on my Madone is that there’s not enough stopping power. I have the same problem when I run carbon wheels on my triathlon bikes.

Reasons I Love Disc Brakes

More stopping power

Ability to modulate braking

Less maintenance

The 2-piece rotors look cool

Easier wheel swaps

Reasons I Waited

I hadn’t ever ridden them

Most bikes until this year were rim brake

People made them seem significantly heavier

There is a price difference

I wasn’t in the market for a new bike

More Explanation

My first disc brake experiences were limited to test rides, so I didn’t know too much about the difference in feel until working on bikes with disc brakes and eventually riding a Trek Emonda Disc for a week. I knew by that point the advantages of being able to modulate the braking power and the pads moving in as they wore down from working on them, but I didn’t realize the difference in stopping power until I rode them.

Going forward, I also like not having to swap brake pads if I swap wheels. If I plan to ride my tri bike outside this winter I will ride my carbon wheels, specifically because I don’t want to swap brake pads to ride my trainer wheels outside. My Domane though I can swap wheels with my husband’s Domane if I don’t want to take the carbon rims through the dirt and salt.

Overall, I see no true disadvantages to riding disc brakes on my road bikes and in the future my tri bike. I love my Madone, but a Madone SLR 7 Disc is on my wish list too.

Funny thing, I bought the pedals for this bike before I even bought the frame. I knew I would be building the bike within a year, and I knew which pedals I wanted that just got released by Trek, so I bought the pedals first.

The frame is a 2019 Trek Crockett in what they call Miami Green, and it is beautiful. I had my eye on it from the moment I saw it after choosing not to buy the limited edition gold frame they did the previous year.

The decision to go singlespeed was a little more difficult. I like my gears, but hydraulic shifters, Sram or Shimano, are not easy to come by used and are not cheap. I also ride a single speed hybrid on the greenway, which is fun, so I thought maybe this could be a new challenge for me to attempt. It meant I only needed brakes. No shifters, derailleurs, or other major drivetrain parts other than the crankset.

A simple google search of single speed hydraulic brakes led me to purchase the TRP Hylex brakes and levers, and as you can see in the pictures, no calipers on the bike yet. I also forgot my handlebar at home. The calipers do require you to purchase adaptors and screws in order to install them, which I overlooked. They also already have the hoses attached on both ends, and my frame is internally routed, so I will be detaching and cutting at least the rear if not both. For rotors, I prefer two piece rotors and to stick with one brand, so I bought TRP two piece centerlock rotors, which did not come with lockrings, which led me to buy Shimano lockrings for them.

The wheels were a difficult decision. I could have gotten a reasonably good price on a set of wheels from Shimano, like I put on my husbands bike, but I like a slightly wider internal width to my rims, especially since these will have cross tires some day. I needed centerlock hubs as well, which is something not found in all brands. I ended up going with Bontrager Paradigms, because I run the Paradigm Comp most of the year on my Madone and have enjoyed them as a good aluminum set, and they met all of my standards.

The easiest part of this bike was picking out the crankset and stem. I knew I wanted to run a Sram one-by cross crankset, and I knew which bottom bracket it had to fit from looking at the Crockett 7. I ride a 170 mm crankset on all of my bikes (I will swap any bike that comes with a 165), so the crank length was determined. I wanted Apex, because it was the cheapest, and I got a 42 tooth chainring, because that was what came with it. The stem was all about fit. On a men’s geometry 52 cm bike I run a 80mm 7 degree stem with one 5mm spacer above it and the stem turned down.

During my downtime I have installed all of the parts I can on to the bike, and I am waiting for a chain, brake adaptors, tires, a rear cog, a spacer kit, and then I should be good to ride. Part two will cover a little more of the tech side of setting up the single speed on this bike as well as how I picked the size of the cog and the final fit adjustments.

My name is Alex, and I am a cyclist, triathlete, bicycle mechanic, swim coach, and accounting student. I write about my experiences working on bikes and the places I ride and train, while also working to manage being a full time accounting student. My hope is to share information that is both useful and entertaining for cyclists and triathletes through my blog, as well as my Youtube channel.